Sir James “The Good” Douglas, Lord of Douglas

Not to be confused with Sir James Douglas of Hermiston and of Lothian

Sir James Douglas (also known as Good Sir James and the Black Douglas; c. 1286 – 25 August 1330)[1] was a Scottish knight and feudal lord. He was one of the chief commanders during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Early life
He was the eldest son of Sir William Douglas, known as "le Hardi" or "the bold", who had been the first noble supporter of William Wallace (the elder Douglas died circa 1298, a prisoner in the Tower of London).[2] His mother was Elizabeth Stewart, the daughter of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland, who died circa 1287 or early 1288. His father remarried in late 1288 so Douglas' birth had to be prior to that; however, the destruction of records in Scotland makes an exact date or even year impossible to pinpoint.
Douglas was sent to France for safety in the early days of the Wars of Independence, and was educated in Paris. There he met William Lamberton, Bishop of St. Andrews, who took him as a squire. He returned to Scotland with Lamberton. His lands had been seized and awarded to Robert Clifford. Lamberton presented him at the occupying English court to petition for the return of his land shortly after the capture of Stirling Castle in 1304, but when Edward I of England heard whose son he was he grew angry and Douglas was forced to depart.[3]
The Douglas Larder
Douglas's actions for most of 1307 and early 1308, although confined for the most part to his native Douglasdale, were essential to keeping the enemy in the South and freeing Bruce to campaign in the north. He soon created a formidable reputation for himself as a soldier and a tactician. While Bruce was campaigning in the north against his domestic enemies, Douglas used the cover of Selkirk Forest to mount highly effective mobile attacks against the enemy. He also showed himself to be utterly ruthless, particularly in his relentless attacks on the English garrison in his own Douglas Castle, the most famous of which quickly passed into popular history. Barbour dates this incident to Palm Sunday 1307, which fell on 19 March.[4] Some question whether this date is too early as Bruce and his small army were not yet established in south-west Scotland, suggesting Palm Sunday 1308 – 17 April – as a more accurate date. However, as Barbour states that at the time of the Douglas Larder the Scots were not yet established in south-west Scotland and indeed that Douglas was the only one of Bruce's men anywhere in the area, there is reason to think that Barbour's date is probably correct. Barbour says that the Larder was the first act toward becoming established in that part of Scotland.[5][6]
With the help of his kinsman Thomas Dickson, son of Earl Richard Keith and Castellan of Douglas Castle, Douglas and his small troop were hidden until the morning of Palm Sunday, when the garrison left the battlements to attend the local church. Gathering local support, he entered the church and the war-cry "Douglas! Douglas!" went up for the first time. Some of the English soldiers were killed and others taken prisoner. The prisoners were taken to the castle, now largely empty. All the stores were piled together in the cellar, the wine casks burst open and the wood used for fuel. The prisoners were then beheaded and placed on top of the pile, which was set alight. Before departing, the wells were poisoned with salt and the carcasses of dead horses. The local people soon gave the whole gruesome episode the name "the Douglas Larder." As an example of frightfulness in war, it was meant to leave a lasting impression, not least upon the men who came to replace their dead colleagues. Further attacks followed by the man now known to the English, according to the poet John Barbour, as "The blak Dowglas", a sinister and murderous force "mair fell than wes ony devill in hell." [7]
In August 1308, Douglas met the king for a joint attack on the MacDougalls of Lorn, kinsmen of the Comyns, the climax to Bruce's campaign in the north. Two years before, the Macdougalls had intercepted and mauled the royal army at the Battle of Dalrigh. Now they awaited the arrival of their opponents in the narrow Pass of Brander, between Ben Cruachan and Loch Awe in Argyllshire. While Bruce pinned down the enemy in a frontal advance through the pass, Douglas, completely unobserved, led a party of loyal Highlanders further up the mountain, launching a surprise attack from the rear. Soon the Battle of Pass of Brander turned into a rout. Returning south soon after, Douglas joined with Edward Bruce, the king's brother, in a successful assault on Rutherglen castle near Glasgow, going on to a further campaign in Galloway.[8]
Roxburgh Falls
In the years that followed Douglas was given time to enhance his skills as a soldier. Edward II came north with an army in 1310 in fruitless pursuit of an enemy that simply refused to be pinned down. The frustrations this obviously caused are detailed in the Vita Edwardi Secundi, a contemporary English chronicle;

• The king entered Scotland with his army but not a rebel was to be found...At that time Robert Bruce, who lurked continually in hiding, did them all the injury he could. One day, when some English and Welsh, always ready for plunder, had gone out on a raid, accompanied by many horsemen from the army, Robert Bruce's men, who had been concealed in caves and woodland, made a serious attack on our men...From such ambushes our men suffered heavy losses. For Robert Bruce, knowing himself unequal to the king of England in strength or fortune, decided it would be better to resist our king by secret warfare rather than dispute his right in open battle.

Edward was even moved to write to the Pope in impotent fury, complaining that "Robert Bruce and his accomplices, when lately we went into parts of Scotland to repress their rebellion, concealed themselves in secret places after the manner of foxes."
In the years before 1314 the English presence in Scotland was reduced to a few significant strongholds. There were both strengths and weaknesses in this. The Scots had no heavy equipment or the means of attacking castles by conventional means. However, this inevitably produced a degree of complacency in garrisons provisioned enough to withstand a blockade. In dealing with this problem the Scots responded in the manner of foxes; and among the more cunning of their exploits was Douglas' capture of the powerful fortress at Roxburgh. His tactic, though simple, was brilliantly effective. On the night of 19/20 February 1314 – Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday – several dark shapes were seen beneath the battlements and mistakenly assumed to be cattle. Douglas had ordered his men to cover themselves with their cloaks and crawl towards the castle on their hands and knees. With most of the garrison celebrating just prior to the fast of Lent, scaling hooks with rope ladders attached were thrown up the walls. Taken by complete surprise the defenders were overwhelmed in a short space of time. Roxburgh Castle, among the best in the land, was slighted or destroyed in accordance with Bruce's policy of denying strongpoints to the enemy.[9]
Bannockburn
Main article: Battle of Bannockburn
The greatest challenge for Bruce came that same year as Edward invaded Scotland with a large army, nominally aimed at the relief of Stirling Castle, but with the real intention of drawing out Bruce and his men. The Scots army, roughly a quarter the size of the enemy force, was poised to the south of Stirling and prepared to make a quick withdrawal into the wild country to the west. However, their position just north of the Bannock Burn had strong natural advantages, and the king gave orders to suspend for a time the guerrilla tactics pursued hitherto. On the morning of 24 June and prior to battle, Barbour states it was then that Douglas was made a knight. Many now believe that Douglas was made a knight banneret.[10]
The knight banneret was established under Edward I. A knight banneret held no command responsibilities so much as greater honours [citation needed]. A knight banneret fought under his own banner unlike a knight bachelor who was limited to a pennon. In his The Brus, John Barbour writes in Book XV that Douglas fought under his own banner,[11] hence Douglas had to be a knight banneret. Barbour does state Douglas and others were knighted on the field of the Battle of Bannockburn, "each in their own degree" which would suggest not all were knights bachelor. Others believe that he was knighted late in his career. There is disagreement on the point.
Traditional Scottish accounts dating from the 1370s state that during the battle, Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray commanded the vanguard, the left wing though nominally led by the young Walter Stewart was commanded by his cousin Douglas, Edward Bruce took the right wing, and King Robert the rearguard.[12][13] However, contemporary English accounts state that the Scottish army consisted of three units, so the idea that Douglas and Stewart commanded a unit could be a later invention or the English account is simply mistaken.[14]
Once the English army was defeated, Douglas requested the honour of pursuing the fleeing Edward and his party of knights, a task carried out with such relentless vigour that the fugitives, according to Barbour, "had not even leisure to make water". In the end Edward managed to evade Douglas by taking refuge in Dunbar Castle.[citation needed]
Bannockburn effectively ended the English presence in Scotland, with all strongpoints – outwith Berwick – now in Bruce's hands. It did not, however, end the war. Edward had been soundly defeated but he still refused to abandon his claim to Scotland. For Douglas one struggle had ended and another was about to begin.[citation needed]
Warlord
Bannockburn left northern England open to attack and in the years that followed many communities in the area became closely acquainted with the 'Blak Dowglas.' Along with Randolph, Douglas was to make a new name for himself in a war of mobility, which carried Scots raiders as far south as Pontefract and the Humber. But in a real sense this 'war of the borders' belonged uniquely to Douglas, and became the basis for his family's steady ascent to greatness in years to come. War ruined many ancient noble houses; it was the true making of the house of Douglas. The tactics used by Douglas were simple but effective: his men rode into battle – or retreated as the occasion demanded – on small horses known as hobbins, giving the name of 'hobelar' to both horse and rider. All fighting, however, was on foot. Scottish hobelars were to cause the same degree of panic throughout northern England as the Viking longships of the ninth century.[citation needed]
With the king, Moray and Edward Bruce diverted in 1315 to a new theatre of operations in Ireland, Douglas became even more significant as a border fighter. In February 1316 he won a significant engagement at Skaithmuir near Coldstream with a party of horsemen sent out from the garrison of Berwick. The dead included one Edmond de Caillou Gascon governor of Berwick Castle, and seemingly a nephew of Piers Gaveston, the former favourite of Edward II. Douglas reckoned this to be the toughest fight in which he had ever taken part.[15]
Further successes followed: another raiding party led by Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel was intercepted and defeated at Lintalee, to the south of Jedburgh; a third group was defeated outside the walls of Berwick, where their leader, Sir Robert Neville, known as the 'Peacock of the North', and elder son to Ralph Neville, 1st Baron Neville de Raby, was killed by Douglas in single combat. Such was Douglas' status and reputation that he was made Lieutenant of the Realm, with the Steward, when Bruce and Moray went to Ireland in the autumn of 1316.[16]
Douglas' military achievements inevitably increased his political standing still further. When Edward Bruce, the king's brother and designated successor, was killed in Ireland at the Battle of Faughart in the autumn of 1318, Douglas was named as Guardian of the Realm and tutor to the future Robert II, after Randolph if Robert should die without a male heir.[17] This was decided at a parliament held at Scone in December 1318, where it was noted that "Randolph and Sir James took the guardianship upon themselves with the approbation of the whole community." [citation needed]
Myton and Byland
In April 1318 Douglas was instrumental in capturing Berwick from the English, the first time the castle and town had been in Scottish hands since 1296. For Edward, seemingly blind to the sufferings of his northern subjects, this was one humiliation too many. A new army was assembled, the largest since 1314, with the intention of recapturing what had become a symbol of English prestige and their last tangible asset in Scotland. Edward arrived at the gates of the town in the summer of 1319, Queen Isabella accompanying him as far as York, where she took up residence. Not willing to risk a direct attack on the enemy, Bruce ordered Douglas and Moray on a large diversionary raid into Yorkshire.
It would appear that the Scottish commanders had news of the Queen's whereabouts, for the rumour spread that one of the aims of the raid was to take her prisoner. As the Scots approached York she was hurriedly removed from the city, eventually taking refuge in Nottingham. With no troops in the area, William Melton, Archbishop of York, set about organising a home guard, which of necessity included a great number of priests and other minor clerics. The two sides met up at Myton-on-Swale, with inevitable consequences. So many priests, friars and clerics were killed in the Battle of Myton that it became widely known as the 'Chapter of Myton.' It was hardly a passage of any great military glory for Douglas but as a strategy the whole Yorkshire raid produced the result intended: there was such dissension among Edward's army that the attempt on Berwick was abandoned. It was to remain in Scottish hands for the next fifteen years.
Four years later Edward mounted what was to be his last invasion of Scotland, advancing to the gates of Edinburgh. Bruce had pursued a scorched-earth campaign, denying the enemy essential supplies, so effective that they were forced to retreat by the spur of starvation alone. Once again this provided the signal for a Scottish advance: Bruce, Douglas and Moray crossed the Solway Firth, advancing by rapid stages deep into Yorkshire. Edward and Isabella had taken up residence at Rievaulx Abbey. All that stood between them and the enemy raiders was a force commanded by John de Bretagne, 1st Earl of Richmond, positioned on Scawton Moor, between Rievaulx and Byland Abbey. To dislodge him King Robert used essentially the same tactics as that of Brander in 1308: while Douglas and Moray attacked from the front a party of Highlanders scaled the cliffs on Richmond's flank and attacked from the rear. The Battle of Old Byland turned into a rout, and Edward and his queen were forced into a rapid and undignified flight from Rievaulx, the second time in three years that a Queen of England had taken to her heels.
More raids
In 1327, the hapless Edward II was deposed in a coup led by his wife and her lover, Roger Mortimer, Lord Wigmore. He was replaced by Edward III, his teenage son, though all power remained in the hands of Mortimer and Isabella. The new political arrangements in England effectively broke the truce with the former king, arranged some years before. Once again the raids began, with the intention of forcing concessions from the government.
By mid-summer Douglas and Moray were ravaging Weardale and the adjacent valleys. On 10 July a large English army, under the nominal command of the young king, left York in a campaign that resembles nothing less than an elephant in pursuit of a hare.
The English commanders finally caught sight of their elusive opponents on the southern banks of the River Wear. The Scots were in a good position but declined all attempts to draw them into battle. After a while they left, only to take up an even stronger position at Stanhope Park, a hunting preserve belonging to the bishops of Durham. From here on the night of 4 August Douglas led an assault party across the river in a surprise attack on the sleeping English, later described in a French eyewitness account;

• The Lord James Douglas took with him about two hundred men-at-arms, and passed the river far off from the host so that he was not perceived: and suddenly he broke into the English host about midnight crying 'Douglas!' 'Douglas!' 'Ye shall all die thieves of England'; and he slew three hundred men, some in their beds and some scarcely ready: and he stroke his horse with spurs, and came to the King's tent, always crying 'Douglas!', and stroke asunder two or three cords of the King's tent.[18]

Panic and confusion spread throughout the camp: Edward himself only narrowly escaped capture, his own pastor being killed in his defence. The Battle of Stanhope Park, minor as it was, was a serious humiliation, and after the Scots outflanked their enemy the following night, heading back to the border, Edward is said to have wept in impotent rage. His army retired to York and disbanded. With no other recourse Mortimer and Isabella opened peace negotiations, finally concluded the following year with the Treaty of Northampton, which recognised the Bruce monarchy and the independence of Scotland.
Final campaign
See also: Battle of Teba
Robert Bruce died in 1329. According to Jean le Bel, when Bruce was dying he asked that Sir James, as his friend and lieutenant, should carry his heart to the Holy Land and present it at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem as a mark of penance. John Barbour, alternatively, has Bruce ask that his heart should simply be carried in battle against "God's foes" as a token of his unfulfilled ambition to go on crusade. Given that Jerusalem had been in Muslim hands since 1187, this second is perhaps more likely. When Bruce was dead, his heart was cut from his body and placed in a silver and enamelled casket which Sir James placed around his neck. Early in 1330, Douglas set sail from Berwick upon Tweed, accompanied by seven other knights with twenty esquires and gentlemen.
The party stopped first at Sluys in Flanders. There it may be that Douglas received confirmation that Alfonso XI of Castile was preparing a campaign against the Muslims of the kingdom of Granada. In anticipation, he had with him a letter of introduction to King Alfonso from Edward III of England, his cousin. Accordingly, the Scots sailed on to Seville, where, according to John Barbour, Sir James and his solemn relic were received by Alfonso with great honour.
Douglas and his company joined Alfonso's army, which then was setting out for the frontier of Granada to besiege the castle of Teba. Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula, the Berber general in command of the Moorish forces, marched to relieve the border stronghold. At some point during the siege, Douglas was killed. Sources and commentators differ as to how. According to Jean Froissart and the Gran Cronica de Alfonso XI, Douglas was killed as a result of making a premature attack on the enemy. The Gran Cronica suggests this might have been during fighting for access to water. Citing John Barbour, some modern commentators believe he died in the decisive Battle of Teba.[19][20] Barbour describes a grand battle in Spain but the setting is vague and the outcome ambiguous.
According to the Gran Cronica de Alfonso XI, Uthman, unable to bring the Christians to battle, devised a stratagem in an attempt to force them to abandon the siege. A body of cavalry was sent to make a diversionary attack across the Guadalteba river, luring Alfonso out to fight while Uthman circled round to attack the Christian camp and destroy the besieging army's supplies. Alfonso, however, having received intelligence of Uthman's preparations, kept most of his army back in camp while he sent a contingent to meet the demonstration on the river. It is as part of this force that some commentators assume Douglas and his company joined the battle.[21] When Uthman arrived at the enemy camp he found Alfonso's men armed and ready. He abandoned his attack and rode to support the diversionary force on the river where, unable to withstand the Castilian assault, his men were already starting to fall back.
Uthman arrived too late to prevent a general rout and the entire Granadan force was driven back in confusion to their camp in the Turon valley, 10 miles to the south. It is in this phase of the battle that some modern commentators have placed Douglas' death, either caught in flank when Usman's force reached the river or in the ensuing pursuit to the Granadan camp.
According to John Barbour's description of Douglas' last battle, when the enemy broke, Sir James and his companions followed hard behind. Having outstripped most of his men in the pursuit, Douglas suddenly found himself far out in front with only a few of his followers around him. As they rode back to rejoin the main body, a body of Moors, seizing their opportunity, quickly rallied and counterattacked. When Douglas saw Sir William St. Clair of Rosslyn about to be surrounded and cut off, he led the few knights who were with him to attempt a rescue but, outnumbered twenty to one, the group was overrun. It has become a popular legend that Douglas then took from his neck the silver casket which contained the heart of Bruce and threw it before him among the enemy, saying, "Now pass thou onward as thou wert wont, and Douglas will follow thee or die."[22] This anecdote has its origin in a 16th-century addition to Barbour's poem which, however, describes Douglas making the gesture at the beginning of his final battle. It was Sir Walter Scott in Tales of a Grandfather who created the image of Douglas throwing Bruce's heart as his dying act.[23]
The Castilian cronica makes no reference to such a catastrophe. It does, however, state that in a fierce skirmish some days prior to the climactic battle, an unnamed "foreign count" (arguably a reference to Douglas) had died as a result of his own rash behaviour. This is one of only two battle casualties mentioned individually in the Castilian narrative of the campaign.
Barbour relates that Douglas and all the men caught with him were killed, including Sir William St. Clair of Rosslyn and Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig. Barbour states that, after this battle, Douglas' body and the casket with Bruce's heart were recovered. His bones, the flesh boiled off them, were taken back to Scotland by Sir William Keith of Galston in Ayrshire (who had missed the battle because of a broken arm), and deposited at St Bride's Church. The tradition that Sir Simon Locard was a member of the company and also survived is not found in any of the sources. The heart of Bruce was taken by Moray, the regent, and solemnly interred under the high altar of Melrose Abbey.
The poet and chronicler John Barbour provides us with a pen portrait of the Black Douglas, among the first of its kind in Scottish history, which in 1914 was rendered in modern verse translation:

• But he was not so fair that we
• Should praise his looks in high degree.
• In visage he was rather grey;
• His hair was black, so I heard say,
• His limbs were finely made and long,
• His bones were large, his shoulders strong,
• His body was well-knit and slim
• And those say that set eyes on him,
• When happy, loveable was he,
• And meek and sweet in company,
• But those with him in battle saw
• Another countenance he wore!
  • — Michael Macmillan, The Bruce of Bannockburn: being a translation of the greater portion of Barbour's Bruce

Succession
Sir James had two children by unknown mothers:

• William, Lord of Douglas killed 1333 at the Battle of Halidon Hill
  • In 1333 succeeded by his uncle, Sir James' half-brother, Hugh the Dull, Lord of Douglas (c. 1294–1342)
  • In 1342 succeeded by Hugh's nephew (by Sir James' youngest half-brother Archibald), William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, (1327–1384)
• Archibald the Grim (circa 1330–1400), Lord of Galloway succeeded his once removed cousin as Earl of Douglas in 1388.

By 1333 the 'bloody heart' was incorporated in the arms of Sir James' son, William, Lord of Douglas. It subsequently appeared, sometimes with a royal crown, in every branch of the Douglas family.
Modern culture
Literature

• Sir James Douglas is the lead character in author Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's novella "The Last Voyage", which is collected in her short-story compilation "Tales of Spiral Castle".
• Sir James Douglas is the lead character of the novella, "The Knight" by Monica McCarty
• Sir James Douglas is a major character in author Nigel Tranter's Robert the Bruce trilogy. The trilogy focuses on King Robert the Bruce and the Scottish War of Independence.
• Sir James Douglas is the lead character in J. R. Tomlin's Black Douglas Trilogy. The trilogy focuses on Douglas's friendship with King Robert the Bruce and his part in the Scottish War of Independence.

Films

• Sir James Douglas is a character in the low-budget film The Bruce.
• Sir James Douglas was portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the 2018's film Outlaw King. The film is a historical action drama, focusing on Robert the Bruce and the Scottish Wars of Independence.[24]

Liquor

• "The Black Douglas" is an export market scotch whisky named in his honour.[25]
• A popular real ale from the Broughton Brewery in the Scottish Borders also bears the name "Black Douglas". It carries the descriptive note, 'Dark and Bitter'.

Music

• "The Black Douglas" is a song that first appeared on the Corries' album, A Little of What You Fancy.

Railways

• "Black Douglas" was the name given to British Rail locomotive 87030.
• "Black Douglas" name now fitted to class 68 Locomotive, 68030, working for Transpennine trains.

etc.
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Douglas,_Lord_of_Douglas
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Douglas, James (1286?-1330) by Henry Paton
DOUGLAS, Sir JAMES, of Douglas, ‘the Good,’ Lord of Douglas (1286?–1330), was the eldest son of Sir William Douglas of Douglas, ‘the Hardy’ [q. v.], by his first wife, Elizabeth Stewart; for Barbour calls James, high steward of Scotland, his eme or uncle. He was probably born about 1286. When his father was seized and imprisoned by Edward I, he was sent to France, whence, after a three years' sojourn in Paris, he returned to find his father dead and himself stripped of his inheritance, which had been given by Edward to Sir Robert Clifford. He was befriended by William Lamberton, bishop of St. Andrews, who, while yielding to circumstances, was no friend to English rule. In this bishop's retinue Douglas visited the court of Edward during the siege of Stirling, and Lamberton, introducing him, prayed that he might be permitted to tender his homage and receive back his heritage. On being informed that the son and heir of his late prisoner, Douglas ‘the Hardy,’ stood before him, Edward commanded the bishop to speak to him no more on such a matter. Douglas and the bishop at once withdrew.
Bruce now assumed the Scottish crown. He communicated his intention to Lamberton in a letter, which the bishop read forthwith to his retainers. Douglas heard the letter read, and shortly afterwards sought a private interview with the bishop, to whom he expressed his eager desire to share the fortunes of Bruce. Lamberton gave him his blessing and a sum of money, and sent by him a supply to Bruce. He gave Douglas leave to take his own palfrey, with permission, of which Douglas took advantage, to apply force to the groom if he interposed to prevent it. The same night he rode off and joined Bruce in Annandale, on his way to be crowned at Scone.
On 27 March 1306 Bruce was crowned at Scone. In his subsequent wanderings in Athol and Argyll, and his retirement for the winter to the islet of Rachrin on the Irish coast, Douglas was constantly by the side of his king, though he sustained some wounds in an encounter with the Lord of Lorne. With the opening spring of 1307 they returned to renew the contest. Arran, then Carrick (the home of Bruce), then Kyle and Cunningham were speedily subdued, and transferred their allegiance from Edward to Bruce. Successive English armies entered Scotland only to sustain ignominious disaster. At the pass of Ederford, with but sixty men, Douglas proved victorious over a thousand led by Sir John of Mowbray. Thrice by subtle stratagem he overthrew the English garrison in his own castle of Douglas, taking and destroying the castle twice. One of these occasions is perpetuated in history with ghastly memories as ‘The Douglas Larder.’ With but two followers Douglas ventured into his native Douglasdale, meeting with a cordial welcome from his old vassals. Palm Sunday was close at hand, and the soldiers would attend service in the church. Douglas and his followers, in the guise of peasants, also attended, and made the attack at a given signal. The device was successful, notwithstanding the desperate resistance of the English soldiers. After the victory Douglas repaired to the castle with his followers, where, after feasting and removing all valuables, they gathered together the remaining provisions, staving in the casks of wine and other liquor, and, throwing into the heap the carcases of dead horses and the bodies of the slaughtered soldiers, set fire to the buildings and consumed all to ashes. The other occasion on which Douglas destroyed his castle is the historical incident on which Sir Walter Scott based his romance of ‘Castle Dangerous.’ In the work of clearing the country of the English, the remaining portion of the south of Scotland was assigned to Douglas, while Bruce went north to deal with the Comyns. Both succeeded, and then with reunited forces they sought out the Lord of Lorne in his own country, and inflicted upon him a severe chastisement for his treatment of them in their late weakness. They also made several destructive retaliatory raids into England, committing such havoc that town and country alike eagerly purchased immunity from their depredations for fixed periods at a high rate, one condition always being that the Scots should have free passage through the indemnified district to others further south. During this period Douglas had the good fortune to capture Randolph, Bruce's nephew, who was in arms against his uncle's claim, but who became immediately one of Bruce's bravest leaders. By his means a clever capture was made of the castle of Edinburgh. Douglas showed equal skill in taking the castle of Roxburgh. On the eve of a religious solemnity he caused his followers to throw black gowns over their armour, and, similarly clad himself, bade them do as he did. In the deepening twilight they approached the castle, creeping on hands and knees, and were mistaken for cattle by the sentinels. They managed to fix a rope ladder to the walls without being observed, and overpowered the sentinels and the garrison, who were engaged in feasting.
At Bannockburn Douglas was knighted on the battle-field, and had command of the left wing of the Scots. When the fortunes of the day were decided, he, with but sixty horsemen, pursued the fugitive king of England to Dunbar, though he was guarded by an escort of five hundred. After Bannockburn a desultory warfare continued to be waged for thirteen years, during which the wardenship of the marches was assigned to Douglas. He was dreaded throughout the north of England. He was called ‘the Black Douglas,’ from his complexion. His favourite stronghold at this time was at the haugh of Lintalee, on a precipitous bank of the river Jed, where natural fortifications gave a lodgment securer than a fortress. Thence he made raids, and numerous stories are told of his extraordinary prowess and ready inventiveness of stratagems. On one occasion, with but fifty men-at-arms and a body of archers, he attacked and routed a force of ten thousand English soldiers, under the Earl of Arundel and Sir Thomas Richmond. They had come provided with axes to cut down Jedburgh Forest, which they supposed afforded too much cover to Douglas. Douglas resolved to attack Richmond at a narrow pass on his route. The place is described as bearing resemblance to a shield, broad at one end but gradually drawing to a point at the other. At this point Douglas plaited together young birch trees, placing his archers in ambush on one side and his men-at-arms in concealment on the other. The English on their approach were greeted with a shower of arrows from one side, and before they could recover from their surprise, the men-at-arms rushed upon them from the other. Richmond and Douglas instinctively sought each other, but the English knight fell before the Scottish leader, who seized as a trophy of his victory the furred cap worn by Richmond on his helmet, and, cutting his way through the English ranks, disappeared with his followers into the forest. Another detachment of three hundred English soldiers, which had been guided by a priest to Lintalee, was afterwards destroyed. Shortly after this two other English knights, Edmund de Carland and Sir Robert Neville, were similarly defeated.
In 1317 the Scots recaptured Berwick, but after two years it was invested by an English army. As the besieged garrison was somewhat straitened, Douglas and Randolph, to create a diversion, made a most destructive raid into Yorkshire, in the course of which they burned and destroyed in that county alone between eighty and ninety towns and villages. An attempt was made to resist the invasion by the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Ely. They assembled a motley army of about twenty thousand men, including many ecclesiastics, and barred the path of the Scots at the small town of Mitton on the Swale, about twelve miles north of York. But these raw levies were no match for the disciplined ranks of the Scots, and the slaughter among them which followed is known in history as ‘The Chapter of Mitton,’ in allusion to the vast number of ecclesiastics slain. The army investing Berwick was then withdrawn and marched southwards to meet the Scots on their return. But Douglas anticipated their action, and by taking a new route reached Scotland unmolested.
Another expedition under Edward II, nearly equal in numbers and splendour of equipment to that of 1314, entered Scotland in 1322. The country was laid waste, and retreat was enforced by starvation. As warden of the marches Douglas did what he could to accelerate the departure, and Bruce, entering England on the west, laid siege to Norham. When the English army crossed the border Douglas joined Bruce, and with united forces they pursued the English host through Northumberland and Durham into Yorkshire, where they found it resting at Biland Abbey, between Thirsk and Malton, and protected by a narrow pass. Douglas volunteered to take the pass, and did so successfully, whereupon the English army retreated.
When Edward III again threatened hostilities, the Scots at once led an army into England. Douglas was in command, ably assisted by Randolph, now earl of Moray, and Donald, earl of Mar. Through Northumberland, Weardale, and Westmoreland the track of the Scots was plainly traceable by their devastation; but the English army, commanded by Edward III, could not so much as obtain a glimpse of the enemy. He endeavoured to intercept the Scots by taking a post at Heyden Bridge, on the Tyne. An English knight, Sir Thomas de Rokeby, was taken prisoner by the Scottish outposts while scouting, and sent back with the news that the Scots were equally ignorant of the English position and awaited them upon a hill in Weardale. As the English had fifty thousand, to twenty thousand Scots, Douglas refused to attack, in spite of Randolph's importunities, while his own position was too strong for an assault. After some successful skirmishes Douglas moved to another strong position in Stanhope Park. The English followed, and Douglas, in a night attack with five hundred horsemen, surprised the camp and nearly seized Edward in his tent. Douglas at last retreated, deceiving the English by leaving camp-fires burning, and crossing a dangerous morass by strewing it with branches. Pursuit was hopeless. Edward dismissed his army, and peace soon followed.
One of the conditions of this peace was the restoration to Douglas of all the lands in England which had belonged to his father. These were duly returned to him. His king had from time to time bestowed on him extensive estates and baronies in the south of Scotland. He also received what is known as the ‘Emerald charter,’ which was not a gift of lands, but a grant of the criminal jurisdiction of all his lands, with immunity to himself and tenants from existing feudal services, and obtained its name from the mode of investiture adopted by the king—the taking an emerald ring from his own finger and placing it upon that of his heroic subject. Another presentation which Bruce made to Douglas, it is said on his deathbed, was a large two-handed sword, which is still a treasured heirloom at Douglas Castle. It has inscribed upon it four lines of verse eulogising the Douglases, and a drawing of it is given in ‘The Douglas Book,’ by Dr. William Fraser, C.B.
Bruce, when dying, was concerned that he had not fulfilled a vow he had made to go as a crusader to the Holy Land, and he desired, as a pledge of his good faith, to send his heart thither. Douglas, ‘tender and true,’ as Holland, in his ‘Buke of the Howlat,’ describes him, vowed to fulfil his sovereign's dying wish; and, after Bruce's death, having received his heart, encased in a casket of gold, Douglas set out on his mission. After sailing to Flanders he proceeded to Spain, where he offered his services to Alfonso, king of Castile and Leon, who was at war with the Saracen king of Granada. A battle took place on the plains of Andalusia, and victory had declared for Alfonso. But Douglas and a few of his comrades pursued the Moors too far, who turned on their enemies. Douglas was in no personal danger, but observing his countryman, Sir William Sinclair of Roslin, sorely beset, dashed in to his assistance and was slain. Other accounts say that he fell in the thick of the fight, when, owing to an untimely charge, he was not supported by the Spaniards, and that to stimulate his courage he took the casket with the Bruce's heart from his breast where he wore it, and, casting it afar into the ranks of the enemy, exclaimed, ‘Onward as thou wert wont, Douglas will follow thee,’ and rushing into their midst was soon borne down and slain. Some also add that he was at this time on his way home from the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, after presenting the Bruce's heart there. It is, however, generally agreed that the battle in which he fell was fought on 25 Aug. 1330. His remains were brought to Scotland and interred in the church of St. Bride's in his native valley, where his natural son, Archibald, afterwards third earl of Douglas [q. v.], erected a monument to his memory, which still exists. The ‘Good’ Sir James was married and left a lawful son who inherited his estates, William, lord of Douglas, but he was slain in 1333 at the battle of Halidon.
Barbour describes the personal appearance of Douglas from the testimony of those who had seen the warrior. He was of a commanding stature, broad-shouldered and large-boned, but withal well formed. His frank and open countenance was of a tawny hue, with locks of raven blackness. He somewhat lisped in his speech. Naturally courteous and gentle, he was beloved by his countrymen; while to his enemies in warfare he was a terror, though even from them his prudent, wise, and successful leadership extorted open praise.
[Barbour's Bruce; Scalacronica; Trivet's Annals; Chronicon de Lanercost; Chronicon Walteri de Hemingburgh; Palgrave's Documents and Records; Fœdera; Acts of Parliaments of Scotland; Rotulæ Scotiæ; Munimenta de Melros; Walsingham's Historia; Froissart's Chronicles; Priory of Coldingham (Surtees Soc.); Hume of Godscroft's Houses of Douglas and Angus; Fordun à Goodall; Fraser's Douglas Book; &c.]
H. P.
From: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Douglas,_James_(1286%3F-1330)
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Sir James Douglas1
Last Edited 4 Apr 2020
M, #3480, d. before 20 April 1323
Father Sir William 'the Hardy' de Douglas d. c 24 Jan 1299
Mother Elizabeth Stewart d. b 28 Jan 1289
Sir James Douglas Known as Good Sir James. He was born at of Lothian, Scotland. He married Joan in 1287. Sir James Douglas died before 20 April 1323.
Family
Joan d. a 1337
Children

• Sir John Douglas+ d. b 25 Jan 1350
• Elizabeth Douglas+
• James Douglas d. 1335
• Sir William Douglas+ d. Aug 1353

Citations
1.[S161] Unknown author, Burke's Peerage, 1938, p. 1787.
From: https://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p116.htm#...
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Sir James Douglas, 6th of Douglas1
M, #109499, d. 1330
Last Edited=15 Jan 2016
Sir James Douglas, 6th of Douglas was the son of Sir William 'Le Hardi' Douglas of that Ilk and Elizabeth Stewart.1,2 He died in 1330 at Spain, slain.1,3
Sir James Douglas, 6th of Douglas also went by the nick-name of James 'the Good'.3
Children of Sir James Douglas, 6th of Douglas
1.Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas+1 b. c 1325, d. fr 24 Dec 1400 - 9 Feb 1400/1
2.William Douglas, 7th of Douglas1 b. b 1330, d. 19 Jul 1333
Citations
1.[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume IV, page 432. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
2.[S323] Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's The Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, 1904), volume I, page 13. Hereinafter cited as The Scots Peerage.
3.[S37] BP2003 volume 2, page 3233. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
From: https://www.thepeerage.com/p10950.htm#i109499
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B. EARLS of DOUGLAS
etc.
ARCHIBALD Douglas, illegitimate son of JAMES Douglas & his mistress --- ([1325]-Threave [24 Dec 1400/9 Feb 1401], bur Bothwell). Froissart names "messire Arcebaus Douglas" as son of "messire James Douglas, frère à messire Guillaume" who died "en Grenade" [628]. "Dominis Andrea de Douglas et Willelmo de Douglas fratre meo militibus Archebaldo de Douglas consanguineo meo…" witnessed the charter dated 3 Nov 1351 under which "Willelmus de Douglas dominus vallis de Lydel" granted "baronia mea de Newlandis et de Kylboughok" to "Jacobo de Douglas nepoti meo filio quondam domini Johannis de Douglas fratris mei"[629]. The Liber Pluscardensis records that "Archibaldus…dictus Blac Archebalde, filius nobilis Jacobi de Douglas…" was captured at the battle of Poitiers in 1356[630]. "Archebaldus de Douglas dñs Galwidie et de Bothevile" confirmed "terras de Arbuthnot" to "Philippo de Arbuthnot et Margarete de Douglas filie Jacobi de Douglas militis dñi de Dalkeith" by charter dated 25 Oct 1372 which names "Joneta sponsam nostram"[631]. He succeeded in 1388 as Earl of Douglas. The Liber Pluscardensis records the death in 1400 of "Archibaldus de Douglas, comes eiusdem"[632]. Fraser records details of his career[633].
m (Papal dispensation 23 Jul 1362) as her second husband, JOAN Moray, widow of THOMAS Moray Lord of Bothwell, daughter of MAURICE Moray Earl of Strathearn & his wife Joan Menteith (-[Jan 1403/Aug 1409]). "Archebaldus de Douglas dñs Galwidie et de Bothevile" confirmed "terras de Arbuthnot" to "Philippo de Arbuthnot et Margarete de Douglas filie Jacobi de Douglas militis dñi de Dalkeith" by charter dated 25 Oct 1372 which names "Joneta sponsam nostram"[634].
Archibald & his wife had three children (see Fraser for details of these descendants[635]):

• 1. ARCHIBALD Douglas ([1370]-killed in battle Verneuil 17 Aug 1424, bur 24 Aug 1424 Tours Cathedral). He succeeded his father in [1400/01] as Earl of Douglas. Charles VII King of France created him Duc de Touraine 19 Apr 1424. The Geste des Nobles records that in 1424 “le conte de Douglas” arrived in France where “le roy de France” granted him “la duchié de Touraine”[636]. He was killed fighting against the Duke of Bedford[637]. The Geste des Nobles names “le duc de Touraine, James de Douglaz son fils, le conte de Buchan son gendre connestable de France...” among those killed in battle “devant Verneuil” 17 Aug 1424[638]. m (before 1390) Lady MARGARET Stewart, daughter of ROBERT III King of Scotland & his wife Annabel Drummond (-[26 Jan 1450/Sep 1456], bur Lincluden Church). Archibald & his wife had [three] children:
  • a) ARCHIBALD Douglas ([1390]-Restalrig 26 Jun 1439, bur St Bride’s, Douglas). He succeeded his father as Earl of Douglas. [m firstly MATILDA Lindsay, daughter of DAVID Lindsay Earl of Crawford & his wife ---.] m [secondly] (Papal dispensation 6 Jun 1425, before 26 Apr 1425) as her first husband, EUPHEMIA Graham of Strathearn, daughter of PATRICK Graham Earl of Strathearn & his wife --- (-[1 Aug/1 Nov] 1468). The Papal dispensation for the marriage of "Archebaldi de Douglas" and "Euphemie de Graham", issued by Pope Martin V, is dated 26 Jun 1425[639]. She married secondly (Papal dispensation 25 Feb 1441, [1441]%29 as his first wife, James Hamilton Lord Hamilton. “Malise Earl of Menteith” granted "the lands of Elastonne...” to “his kinsman James Lord Hamilton, knight, and Eufamia his spouse, sister of Earl Malis (and widow of Archibald fifth Earl of Douglas)" by charter dated 17 Dec 1453[640]. King James II granted “the lands of the baronies of Drumsergart and Cormannok...” to "James Lord Hamilton and his spouse Euphamia Countess of Douglas, otherwise spouse of the deceased Archibald Earl of Douglas and Lord of Lauderdale”, by reason of “the forfeiture of James, formerly Earl of Douglas and Lord of Lauderdale", by charter dated 1 Jul 1455[641]. Archibald & his [second] wife had three children:
    • i) WILLIAM Douglas (1423-beheaded Edinburgh Castle 24 Nov 1440). He succeeded his father as Earl of Douglas. m JANET Lindsay, daughter of DAVID Lindsay Earl of Crawford & his wife Marjory Ogilvy of Auchterhouse (-[1483/84]).
    • ii) DAVID Douglas (-beheaded Edinburgh Castle 24 Nov 1440).
    • iii) MARGARET Douglas "the Fair Maid of Galloway" (-[21 Jan 1473/early 1475]). m firstly (1444) WILLIAM Douglas Earl of Douglas, son of JAMES Douglas Earl of Douglas & his second wife Beatrice Sinclair (1425-murdered Stirling Castle 22 Feb 1452). m secondly (1453, divorced) as his first wife, her brother-in-law, JAMES Douglas Earl of Douglas, son of JAMES Douglas Earl of Douglas & his second wife Beatrice Sinclair (1425-Lindores Abbey [after 22 May] 1491, bur Lindores Abbey). m thirdly ([1459/60]%29 as his first wife, JOHN Stewart Earl of Atholl, son of JAMES Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn & his wife Joan Beaufort ([1440]-the Laighwood 15 Sep 1512, bur Dunkeld Cathedral).
  • b) ELIZABETH Douglas (-[1451]). m firstly JOHN Stewart Earl of Buchan Constable of France, son of ROBERT Stewart Duke of Albany & his second wife Harriet Keith ([1381]-killed in battle Verneuil 17 Aug 1424). The Geste des Nobles names “le duc de Touraine, James de Douglaz son fils, le conte de Buchan son gendre connestable de France...” among those killed in battle “devant Verneuil” 17 Aug 1424[642]. m secondly ([1425]%29 THOMAS Stewart Master of Mar Lord of Badenoch, illegitimate son of ALEXANDER Stewart Earl of Mar & his mistress --- (-before 1435) m thirdly as his first wife, WILLIAM Sinclair Earl of Orkney, son of HENRY Sinclair Earl of Orkney & his wife Jill Douglas of Nithdale (-[1480]). He was created Earl of Caithness in 1455. He resigned the earldom of Orkney in 1470.
  • c) [JAMES Douglas (-killed in battle Verneuil 17 Aug 1424). The Geste des Nobles names “le duc de Touraine, James de Douglaz son fils, le conte de Buchan son gendre connestable de France...” among those killed in battle “devant Verneuil” 17 Aug 1424[643]. The primary source which identifies his mother has not been identified.]
• 2. JAMES Douglas of Balvany ([1375?]-[24 Mar/28 Mar] 1443, bur Douglas). Earl of Avondale and Lord Balvany 1437. He succeeded his great-nephew as Earl of Douglas in 1440. [m firstly [--- Stewart, daughter of ROBERT Stewart Duke of Albany & his [first wife Margaret Graham Ctss of Menteith/second wife Muriella Keith] (-[1424])]. The estimated date of birth of James Earl of Douglas, and his known marriage dated to 1424, suggests that an earlier marriage is likely. Balfour Paul, after noting that "his only recorded wife is Beatrice Sinclair", says that Earl James "is three times within a year styled ‘brother’ by Murdach Duke of Albany, which suggests that he married [firstly] an unknown or a widowed daughter of Robert Duke of Albany or that he married a sister-in-law of Duke Murdach", adding that "no evidence on the point has been discovered"[644]. Balfour Paul does not cite the sources for the three documents, but Fraser cites an “Act of General Council at Inverkeithing” dated 28 Aug 1423, a “precept for infefting Henry Ramsay of Colluthie in Leuchars” dated 28 Aug 1423, and a charter of Pittendriech dated 4 Mar 1424 (N.S.)[645]. If this parentage of James’s supposed first wife is correct, his estimated birth date suggests that she could have been born from her father’s second marriage.] m [secondly] (1424) BEATRICE Sinclair, daughter of HENRY Sinclair Earl of Orkney & his wife Jill Douglas of Nithsdale (-[Jun 1455/8 Feb 1463]). Earl James & his [second] wife had [eleven] children:
  • a) WILLIAM Douglas (1425-murdered Stirling Castle 22 Feb 1452). Twin with his brother James. He succeeded his father in 1443 as Earl of Douglas. m (1444) as her first husband, MARGARET Douglas "the Fair Maid of Galloway", daughter of ARCHIBALD Douglas Earl of Douglas & his second wife Eupheme Graham of Strathearn (-[21 Jan 1473/early 1475]). She married secondly (1453, divorced) as his first wife, her brother-in-law, James Douglas Earl of Douglas, and thirdly as his first wife, John Stewart Earl of Atholl.
  • b) JAMES Douglas (1425-Lindores Abbey [after 22 May] 1491, bur Lindores Abbey). Twin with his brother William. He succeeded his brother as Earl of Douglas. m firstly (1453) as her second husband, his sister-in-law, MARGARET Douglas "the Fair Maid of Galloway", widow of WILLIAM Douglas Earl of Douglas, daughter of ARCHIBALD Douglas Earl of Douglas & his wife Eupheme Graham of Strathearn (-[21 Jan 1473/early 1475]). She married thirdly as his first wife, John Stewart Earl of Atholl. m secondly as her third husband, ANNE de Holand, widow firstly of JOHN Neville, and secondly of JOHN Neville Lord Neville, daughter of JOHN de Holand Duke of Exeter & his first wife Anne Stafford (-26 Dec 1486).
  • c) ARCHIBALD Douglas (-killed Arkinholm 1 May 1455). He was installed in parliament as Earl of Moray 3 Jul 1445, a reflection of the power of the Douglas family rather than of his wife's hereditary right. He rebelled against the king following the murder of his brother William Earl of Douglas. He was attainted posthumously and his assets and title declared forfeited[646]. m ([Aug 1434/26 Apr 1442]) as her first husband, Lady ELIZABETH Dunbar, daughter of JAMES Dunbar Earl of Moray & his wife Katherine [Janet] Seton of Gordon (-before 17 Feb 1486). She married secondly (contract 20 May 1455, divorced before 10 Mar 1460) as his first wife, George Gordon Master of Huntly, who succeeded in 1470 as Earl of Huntly, and thirdly ([1462]) as his second wife, John Colquhoun of Luss.
  • d) HUGH Douglas (-executed 1455).
  • e) JOHN Douglas (-executed 1463). Lord of Balveny, forfeited 1455.
  • f) HENRY Douglas . Priest.
  • g) GEORGE Douglas (-young).
  • h) MARGARET Douglas . m HENRY Douglas of Borg in Galloway, son of JAMES Douglas Baron of Aberdour & his first wife Lady Elizabeth Stewart of Scotland.
  • i) BEATRICE Douglas (-1490 or after). m (before 17 Mar 1450) WILLIAM Hay of Erroll, Perthshire, Lord Hay, Constable of Scotland, son of GILBERT Hay & his wife Alice Hay of Yester (-[Slains] after 15 Nov 1461). He was created Earl of Erroll in 1452. m secondly (before 12 Oct 1463) ARTHUR Forbes, son of --- (-after 1 Jun 1474).
  • j) JANET Douglas . m (before 23 Jul 1451) as his first wife, ROBERT Fleming, son of MALCOLM Fleming of Biggar and Cumbernauld & his wife Elizabeth Stewart of the Dukes of Albany (-[26 Mar 1491/16 Jan 1493]). He was created Lord Fleming in [1451/54].
  • k) ELIZABETH Douglas . m WILLIAM Wallace of Craigie, son of ---.
• 3. MARJORY Douglas (-before 11 May 1421). The Liber Pluscardensis records the marriage "apud Bothwel" of "dux Rothsay David princeps, primogenitus regis Roberti tercii" and "Archibaldus de Douglas…filiam suam Mariam"[647]. Accounts dated 1421 record pension payments “in plenam solucionem termini Pentecostes” to “quondam domine Marie ducisse Rothesaie” and her death “post quem terminum” after which the pension stopped[648]. m firstly (Bothwell Church Feb 1400) DAVID Stewart Duke of Rothesay, son of ROBERT III King of Scotland & his wife Annabella Drummond (24 Oct 1378-Falkland Castle 26 Mar 1402, bur Lindores Abbey). m secondly (1403) WALTER Halyburton of Dirletoun, son of --- (-1447).

Earl Archibald had one illegitimate child by an unknown mistress (see Fraser for details[649]):

• 4. WILLIAM Douglas of Nithsdale (-killed in battle Danzig [1391/92]). The Liber Pluscardensis records that "Archibaldus de Douglas…filium…Willelmum" was killed "ab Anglicis super pontem de Dansekyn"[650]. Accounts dated 1391 record payments made to “domino Willelmo de Douglas, in partem pensionis...” and in early 1393 a reference to “quondam dominus Willelmus de Douglas”[651]. m (1387) Lady EGIDIA Stewart, daughter of ROBERT II King of Scotland & his second wife Eupheme of Ross. The Liber Pluscardensis records that "Archibaldus de Douglas…filium…Willelmum" married "rex Scociæ Robertus…filiam…Egidia Pulcra"[652]. Balfour Paul dates her marriage to 1387[653]. The Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun records that “Schyr Willame off Dowglas, that till Schyr Archebald swne than was” married “the Kyng...hya douchtyr Dame Gylis that than was the fayrest off fassown and off face” in 1387 and was granted “the Lordschipe als off Nyddysdale”[654]. William & his wife had one child:
  • a) JILL Douglas (-1438 or after). The Liber Pluscardensis records that the only daughter of "Willelmum [Douglas]" and his wife "rex Scociæ Robertus…filiam…Egidia Pulcra" married "dominus comes Orcadiæ Henricus de Sancto Claro" by whom she had "comitem Orcadiæ…Willelmum ac alios plures filios et filias"[655]. m firstly (before 17 Nov 1407) HENRY Sinclair Earl of Orkney, son of HENRY Sinclair Earl of Orkney & his wife Jean Halyburton of Dirletoun (-[1 Feb] 1421). m secondly (after 29 Apr 1422) ALEXANDER Stewart, son of MURDOCH Stewart Duke of Albany & his wife Isabel of Lennox (-beheaded Stirling 25 Mar 1425).

C. EARLS of MORTON
etc.
From: https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTTISH%20NOBILITY%20LATER.htm#Ar...
_______
PHOTO NO DATES
Sir James Douglas Veteran Famous memorial
Birth c.1286
Death 25 Aug 1330 (aged 43–44)
Teba, Provincia de Málaga, Andalucia, Spain
Burial Saint Bride's Cemetery
Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Find a Grave Memorial ID: 10033
James of Douglas was the friend and ablest lieutenant of Robert the Bruce. Known as the Black Douglas to the English and as the Good Sir James to the Scots, Douglas was a brilliant fighter and master of guerrilla warfare. He commanded the left wing of Bruce's army at the battle of Bannockburn. Before his death, Bruce asked Douglas to take his heart on a crusade to the Holy Land. Douglas set out bearing Bruce's heart in a silver casket, but on the way fell fighting the Moors in Spain. The Scottish knights who survived brought back Douglas's body which was entombed in the town of Douglas and Bruce's heart which was buried in Melrose Abbey.
Family Members
Parents
William "le Hardi, the Bold" Douglas
1255–1298

Elizabeth Stewart Douglas
1250–1287

Spouse
Joan Lovel Douglas
1287 – unknown

Half Siblings
James Douglas
1270–1323

Hugh "The Dull" Douglas
1294–1342

Archibald "The Tyneman" Douglas
1297–1333

Children
William Douglas
1305–1333

Elizabeth Douglas de Somerville
1305–1357

Archibald Douglas
1325–1400
From: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10033/james-douglas
___________
Links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bannockburn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Teba

Nursery Rhyme
Hush Ye,Hush ye,
Hush ye, little pet ye,
Hush ye, hush ye, do no fret ye,
The Black Douglas shall no get ye.

check citations- http://www.palmspringsbum.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I766... Hugh Gifford, Lord Yester [1] Born Cal 1322 [2] Name Hugh Gifford [2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Died 1365 [2]

Family m. Joanna Douglas, d. Aft 1400 Biographical had 4 daughters, all coheirs [6] Children + 1. Heiress Joanna Gifford, d. Aft 1401 + 2. Alice Gifford, d. Yes, date unknown + 3. Elizabeth Gifford, Co-Heiress of Yester, b. 1396, Bemersyde, Berwickshire, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location, d. Yes, date unknown Last Modified 20 Jan 2013 Family ID F27846 Group Sheet

Sources

   [S655] Burke's Landed Gentry (1894), Vol. I, Sir Bernard Burke, Ulter King of Arms, (London, England: Harrison and Sons, 1894), http://books.google.com/books?id=93M-AQAAIAAJ., Haig of Blairhill, page 852 (Reliability: 3).

[S189] Powys-Lybbe, Antony & Timothy Francis Powys-Lybbe, (Winkfield, United Kingdom: www.powys.org, 13 Jan 2007 - 2013), Email of 7 Jan 2013 (Reliability: 3).

   ~ Ancestors of Janet Home

[S464] Peerage, The, Daryl Lundy, (Nagaio, Wellington, New Zealand: http://www.thepeerage.com/index.htm).

   Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 1718.

[S509] Haig of Bemersyde, John Russell, (Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1881), http://books.google.com/books?id=ulgBAAAAQAAJ., page 436 (Reliability: 4).
[S511] Scots Peerage, Vol. 4, Sir James Balfour Paul, Lord Lyon King of Arms (editor), (Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, 1907), archive.org/stream/scotspeeragefoun04pauluoft., page 445 (Reliability: 4).
[S649] Scots Peerage, Vol. 8, David Douglas, (Edinburgh, Scotland: T. and A. Constable, printer, 1911), archive.org/stream/scotspeeragefoun08pauluoft., page 422 (Reliability: 3).
______________________________

Sir James Douglas aka of Lothian Born about 1280 in Douglas Castle,Douglas,Lanarkshire,Scotlandmap Son of William Douglas and [mother unknown] [sibling%28s%29 unknown] [spouse(s) unknown] Father of John Douglas Died about 1323 in Dalkeith,,Lothian,Scotlandmap Profile manager: Maria Maxwell private message [send private message] This page has been accessed 203 times.

Nominate for Profile of the Week by posting the link http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Douglas-528 in our G+ Community. Vote by clicking the +1 button above. This person was created through the import of Martin_O_Daniels_Lorentz_Toale.ged on 21 March 2011. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability.

He lived at Midlothian, Scotland. In 1315 he was granted Kincavil and Calderclere by King Robert I. Death

Death: Date: 1323-04 Place: Dalkeith,,Lothian,Scotland Imported only 1323 from Death Date and marked as uncertain.

Sources

G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume I, page 310. Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 2786.

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Douglas-528

Förnamn James Douglas of Hermiston and of Lothian Sir James 'the Black' James Efternamn Douglas, of Lothian Douglas, 6th Laird of Douglas de Douglas Födelsedatum 1280 1286 1286 Födelseort Douglas Castle,Douglas,Lanarkshire,Scotland Douglas Castle, Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland Dödsdatum c. april 20, 1323 25 augusti 1330 1330 Dödsort Dalkeith,,Lothian,Scotland Santiago de Compostela, La Coruna, Galicia, Spain